white label 2019 no. 6

The Dutch brewery Emelisse was one of the first to discover the barley wine trend and specialize in it. Many craft breweries now have barrel-aged alternatives in their range.

The White Label series from Emelisse is a delicately composed selection of barrel-aged beers that have been refined to their full splendor in various whiskey and wine barrels. A good barley wine is characterized by its complexity and intensity of taste and is a fine wine for special moments. As a rule, barley wines are also higher in alcohol than their normal counterparts. This also applies to the beers in the White Label series: The Barley Wine Bowmore is number 6 in the series and has a decent alcohol content of 10.5%. The percentages are balanced with a strong composition of ripe berries, raisins and flavor-intensive red summer fruits.

The barrel-aged beer specialty flows into the glass in an opaque mahogany tone, a hand's breadth of creamy, slightly tinted foam crowns the sparkling ruby red beer. A fine scent of soft caramel, smoky peat, roasted malt and red fruits rises from the hazelnut-brown foam. The initial taste presents a voluminous body with a variety of flavor nuances: the acidity of freshly harvested berries mixes on the tongue with gentle caramel, strong malt, candied red fruits and spicy whiskey. A nice peat note gives the beer contrast. The sweet finish stays on the tongue for a long time and makes you want more.